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Upper Bankhead Day-use Area in Banff National Park

Picnic area · Banff National Park

Upper Bankhead Day-use Area

A picnic stop that doubles as the C-Level Cirque trailhead.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Picnic area
Nearest trail
Right here
Audio stories
7 nearby
  • Parking
  • Restrooms
  • Picnic tables
  • Trailhead
DirectionsMap

Hear the audio tour

Upper Bankhead: Lunch or C-Level Cirque

Overview

About Upper Bankhead Day-use Area

Why stop

  • Picnic shelters with wood stoves and tables

Heads up

  • Limited paved parking

Map

Where it is

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Picnic areaUpper Bankhead Day-use Area51.23682, -115.51919
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Plan your stop

Before you go

8 active Banff alerts

  • ClosureJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area closedJohnston Canyon Trail and Day Use Area are closed to all traffic and travel through December 11, 2026, because construction work requires protecting public and workers’ safety.Official details
  • ClosureBaker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds closed to campingCamping is prohibited at Baker Lake and Hidden Lake campgrounds through December 1, 2026, because a grizzly bear entered campsites and investigated tents and gear; the closures reduce risk to…Official details
See all 8 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Banff Tour Guide

Your drive to Upper Bankhead Day-use Area, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Banff National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

See the Banff audio tour

Recorded for this place

Upper Bankhead: Lunch or C-Level Cirque
0:00 / 0:29
“Up ahead is Upper Bankhead Day-use Area, with picnic tables and shelters for a bring-your-own lunch stop. Parking is limited, so use the designated spaces.”

Plays as you drive up to Upper Bankhead Day-use Area in the Parkwolf Banff Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Lower Bankhead: Where the Town Went
  • Two Jack Campgrounds: Lakeside or Main
  • Two Jack Lake: A Picnic by Mount Rundle
  • Lake Minnewanka: Shore, Boats and a Sunken Village
  • 185 audio storiesacross Banff’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear, Gray Wolf, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 162 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“…Loved the commentary as you drove thru. I’m sure the app can do more than I know but the tips were very helpful. I’m gonna use it when we go to Banff next month.”
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Guide

More about Upper Bankhead Day-use Area

A useful stop on the Minnewanka LoopUpper Bankhead Day-use Area is a picnic site on Lake Minnewanka Road, 8.

Upper Bankhead Day-use Area is a picnic site on Lake Minnewanka Road, 8.3 km northeast of downtown Banff. It works well for a meal break or as the start of C-Level Cirque; treat it as a practical stop rather than a major viewpoint.

Make lunch easyPicnic tables and shelters with wood stoves make this a good place to bring your own meal.

Picnic tables and shelters with wood stoves make this a good place to bring your own meal. Parking is limited and paved, with two accessible stalls, and the site has two gender-neutral outhouses.

Start of the C-Level Cirque hikeC-Level Cirque starts here: the trail is 3.

C-Level Cirque starts here: the trail is 3.8 km one way with 440 m of elevation gain, and takes about three hours round trip. Expect a sustained uphill walk; the strongest views toward Lake Minnewanka come higher on the route, so choose this for a real hike rather than a quick stroll from the lot.

picnichikingtrailheaddayuse

Wildlife

Wildlife in Banff

All Banff wildlife maps
Grizzly Bear123 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapBrown Bear150 sightingsBrown BearMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapGray Wolf44 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapRiver Otter12 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapMoose69 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapBlack Bear466 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Banff. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Upper Bankhead Day-use Area

See it all on the map

Trails nearby

ModerateC-Level Cirque Trail7.6 km · 3 hr · At the trailheadMine ruins lead to a boulder-ringed cirque below Cascade Mountain.ChallengingCascade Valley Trail29.1 km · 9 hr · At the trailheadA long gravel track into Cascade Valley’s backcountry.EasyLower Bankhead Interpretive Trail1.2 km · 36 min · 0.4 km awayA short loop through a coal town's industrial remains.ModerateTessa Falls Trail1.4 km · 45 min · 1.1 km awayA short waterfall walk with an awkward riverbank finish.EasyTwo Jack Lake Shoreline Trail2.1 km · 45 min · 1.7 km awayPine needles underfoot, Mount Rundle across the water.ModerateLake Minnewanka Shoreline Trail22.2 km · 7.5 hr · 1.8 km awayA long, rocky shoreline walk with annual bear-season restrictions.EasyLake Minnewanka Trail to Stewart Canyon3.2 km · 1 hr · 1.8 km awayAn easy lakeshore walk to Stewart Canyon’s footbridge.ChallengingAylmer Lookout Trail23.2 km · 7.5 hr · 2 km awayA long day on Minnewanka ends with the whole lake below you.

More stops nearby

Sight · 0.7 km awayBankhead Ghost TownA coal town reduced to ruins, signs, and old mine machinery.Campground · 1.5 km awayTwo Jack Main CampgroundA wooded, no-hookup base close to Lake Minnewanka.Sight · 1.7 km awayTwo Jack LakeA lakeside picnic and paddle beneath Mount RundleSight · 1.9 km awayLake MinnewankaA mountain lake with a summer village still underwater.Campground · 1.9 km awayTwo Jack Lakeside CampgroundCamp beside Two Jack Lake, with Banff close by.Picnic area · 2.6 km awayCascade PondsA low-effort pond stop for bridges, picnics and mountain reflections.Beach · 4.7 km awayJohnson LakeAn easy lakeshore loop beneath Mount Rundle, with summer swims.Campground · 5.1 km awayTunnel Mountain Village I CampgroundForest camping near Banff with showers and mountain views.

Parkwolf’s Banff ranking

Top sights in Banff

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  4. 4Johnston CanyonSight
  5. 5Banff GondolaSight
  6. 6Cave and Basin National Historic SiteSight

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